Aliso Viejo City Council Meeting Wrap-Up

The following is from Wednesday's Aliso Viejo City Council meeting.

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First meeting with new mayor

Mayor Donald Garcia honored Councilwoman Carmen Cave for her dedication to the city. Numerous city employees came up to congratulate and give words of praise to Cave, who was the first mayor of the city.

City Manager Mark Pulone presented a gift to Cave and said, "Personally, I just want to thank you for the support you've given us."

Cave addressed the council and admitted that she never thought she'd be mayor but stumbled into it "by accident."

Albert Armijo, director of planning services, went over the Green City Plan, which will be completed in the spring and added into the city's general plan.

The plan is essentially a road map for reducing environmental impacts, such as greenhouse gas emissions, City Manager Mark Pulone said Thursday.

During the meeting council members discussed ways for the city and its citizens to be more environmentally aware.

Councilwoman Cave suggested that businesses should realize the incentives of being environmentally conscious and that it's not just in the city's hands.

Pulone said that the city will do a fiscal analysis so that the city can demonstrate the savings associated with "going green" to businesses and residents. The city will examine the costs of switching to drought-tolerant landscaping, using solar energy and other ways to positively impact the environment.

Aliso Viejo is known to be a relatively progressive city in its attention to the environment. All the plants used in recent city developments are drought-tolerant and native.

Pulone said turf is being used less and less for purely aesthetic reasons. The city also has LEED-certified buildings, including the Soka University Performing Arts Center, which has a green roof, solar panels and shaded glass.

A workshop will take place Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. in City Hall. The meeting will go over the last 10 workshops and topics of discussion will include energy, water, transportation and vehicle management, recyling, waste management and land use.